Dying Embers Preview Chapter 1

Chapter 1

    Screaming drifted up from the forest floor, threatening to shatter the century old glass of the arched window that stared out over the scene.
    “No Susan, I’m sorry,” Amadahy Love found herself reluctantly saying into the cordless clamped between ear and shoulder as she cast a casual eye over the chaos below her. “It’s not the danger. I have been there before you know. I just have too much on my plate at the moment. You know I would love to go with you. Oh, Drake is doing fine. But he’s at that complicated age, and with my promotion and the Super expanding the department.”
    The afternoon sun slanted through the conifer canopy and lit the large second story kitchen with a warm glow. The woman shifted the phone as she stood over the sink and smiled out the window, latex-gloved hands letting the bait satchel slide back into the pot of carrion. The youth in question was just finishing running a soft bristled brush over the hide of a massive elk who lay patiently in the forest duff. Two smaller boys were engaged in a mock fight that was taking them back and forth over the broad shoulders.  Even lying down the creature towered over the maroon Subaru Outback parked under the old growth fir trees and the color and texture of his fur resembled the fallen pine needles far more than it did any traditional mammalian covering; complicated indeed.
    “Well I wish you the best of luck. Yes maybe next year. Goodbye Susan,” the woman placed the phone on the counter and brushed a loose strand of jet black hair out of her eyes.
      Dark, almost black eyes glinted with regret but a warm smile spread over her copper face as she considered the scene outside her window. The redheaded youth was fussing over the placement of the antlers on a long, noble head. He finally seemed content with the result and disappeared around the corner of the house before the slam of the door and soft footfalls on the stairs announced his presence.
    “Hey Sis,” Drake called as he came in. “Who was that on the phone?”
    “Dr. Keys. I called her to cancel our trip to Haiti.”
    “Oh shards!” the young man said his hazel eyes widening, “I forgot all about that.”
    “Watch your language,” his sister said absently as she put the last of the bait satchels into the freezer bags, most of her attention on getting the zipping mechanisms to match up. If we can put a man on the moon… “With everything that’s going on it was just the right thing to do Drake.”
    “I’m sorry Ama,” he said. “This is so unfair. I know how much you were looking forward to working with the midwives.”
    “Mamma Baby Haiti can survive without one more biologist,” she said with a smile, “and isn’t Bole waiting for that dye?” she indicated a dubious smelling concoction on the stove that was just coming to a simmer.
    Drake started and grabbed the pot in one hand and a nearby pile of paintbrushes in the other, being careful not to spill the oily black goo.
    “Thanks Sis,” he called over his shoulder as he rushed the cooling liquid out to his waiting guardian.
    Amadahy laughed and tossed the last of the bait packets into the battered freezer with “Danger Biological Specimens” stenciled across it in Park Service green. The woman tightened her ponytail and picked up a yellow pad to glance over her list. She wandered down a set of wide, rustic stairs and onto the first floor of the converted barn that served her patchwork family as a home. To one side the corridor narrowed and a half rebuilt pickup truck sat on cinderblocks, the bold red paint gleaming under the skylights. To the other side the space widened out into the main living area.
    The woman absently turned away from the vehicle and moved toward a battered overstuffed chair; one of several mismatched pieces of furniture that surrounded the woodstove and central pillar of the structure. As she passed the artfully gnarled roots of the giant log that held up the roof something nudged her ankle.
    “Hello Grandfather,” the woman murmured with a warm smile as she reached out to lay a hand on the vaguely hominoid crystal that leaned against and fused with the pillar.
    Modern art, they told the few visitors who weren’t already in the know. It was a handy explanation for both the several tons of silicon and the pile of mattresses and pillows that surrounded it. The ‘artwork’ gave a slow happy trill and gently curled one pseudopod around her wrist.
    “I trust your day has been well.”
    After a moment’s pause a rainbow of light rippled down the stiff membrane accompanied by a complex musical trilling. Ama focused but the tones were beyond her and when they passed she gave a slight shake of her head, being sure to keep her eyes open and turned towards the ranger.
    “I’ll take that as a yes,” she agreeably offered, “and an invitation,” before sliding down to sit on a battered leather beanbag.  Aside from Bole, Search was probably the Larian who had become the closest to their hearts since her brother had brought home the aliens. The ancient warrior thought slowly and moved even slower but he had quickly found himself claimed by the boys who had never had a grandparent to speak of. Now his warm presence pressed gently into the biologist’s back as she organized her day. The duties of the head Ecologist for a large National Park kept her busy enough, being the head of Ecological Restoration for Extraterrestrial Resource Damage, well it was a good thing University had taught her to run on very little sleep.
    Search suddenly stiffened behind her and Love glanced up at him curiously. A bright red light was blinking on one side of the form and she glanced in the direction it indicated. A pile of mathematics schoolwork was the only thing in the general vicinity, but the light was blinking urgently so the woman placed the notepad to the side with a sigh and stood. She had just reached the pile when a faint ringing came from under the mess. With a groan the woman dug in, finding the other cordless after the third ring.
    “Biologist Love,” the woman stated crisply, making a note to get Crafter or one of the Millers to fix the cracked display.
    “Miss Love!” the brisk voice on the other side declared eagerly. “Just the woman I wanted to talk to. I have been looking over the records on Drake’s initial injuries and their reaction to Bard’s healing song and I had a concept for a test I would like to run by you.”
    Why yes it is good to hear from you too doctor.Amadahy thought, rolling her eyes with an exasperated smile as she settled back down against Search. My day has been fine. Experience had taught the woman that the brusque manner was how the retired officer showed his concern, and his inherent paternal instinct was so well developed that it was a complete mystery to Ama why he was not yet a father.  That alone had earned the man a rare place of welcome in her home. That he had been partly responsible for saving her brother’s life when they first met had made the welcome absolute and allowed her to work around his often caustic personality. The depth of the devotion she had seen the man display to his friends could be truly breathtaking. So she waited while the doctor went on and when he paused to flip through a file, the woman pounced.
    “Dr. O’Beirne! As always thank you for your consideration,” she decided on pure professionalism, “but Drake is not interested in going through any more scans,” she stated firmly.
    The scientist could almost see the abrupt shift in the rugged face, the startled flash of the hazel eyes behind dark lashes, the jerk of the bright ginger head. Aonghus O’Beirne was downright adorable when he was stymied. Something she would never say to the young doctor’s face; well, not unless she was looking to start a long furious fight. That might be fun in its own right but she really didn’t have the energy at the moment. A fond smile warred with annoyance on her face as she waited for the rebuttal. The retired military doctor didn’t disappoint her.
    “Love! You know as well as I do that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If we are to learn anything from the incident we need to,” Ama rolled her eyes and returned to pursuing her notes for the day, making appropriate noises into the phone when required.
    The deep voice pressed on, and the woman allowed the sound to wash pleasantly over her as she continued arranging the restoration schedules. When she sensed that the doctor was wrapping up the woman diverted her attention again.
    “O’Beirne,” she stated firmly, putting as much of her mother’s voice into the name as she could.  “Drake and Bole have so little time together. We never know when the next attack will come and I am not taking a moment of that time from them.” She could hear the deep breath as the man rallied his arguments and let her voice harden to iron. “That is final doctor.”
    “You, my good lady, are an exceedingly difficult woman,” the man huffed in exasperation.
    Ama flashed her even white teeth in a grin as Search prodded her back playfully. The old warrior liked nothing better than to watch the human defending their home, even if it was only from the gruffly friendly doctor.
    “Flattery will get you no where doctor. Maybe that’s why we get on together so very well!”
    The faint hissing sound that came from the phone might have been static of O’Beirne gathering his wits but anything he might have said was interrupted by a worried trill.
    “It’s alright Search,” Ama soothed the old warrior. "We are just having fun.”
    On the other end of the line O’Beirne offered his own reassurances before making his goodbyes and the old warrior relaxed. The quick capitulation meant the topic was going to come up again the next time the military doctor was over for dinner, and the woman tossed the handset at the couch before attempting to return her full attention to her work.
    “Sis! Sis! Come look!” the youngest member of the family came running in nearly squealing with delight and excitement. “We are done with Bole and he looks, just, just,” the eager ten year old gave a laugh and darted up to catch the woman’s hand as she stood. “Just come see! We will come show you later Grandpa!” the child shouted at the form on the pillar as he dragged his sister outside.
    For a moment the bright sun blinded the woman after the cool darkness of the barn and Amadahy blinked against the winter light. This deep in the conifer forest, warmed by the sun and sheltered by the old growth, it was easy to forget that the rest of the ecosystem had gone dormant.
    A magnificent elk stood in the center of the clearing, posed nobly in the falling rays of sun. His hide was colored tan and grey, a beautiful representation of the local species. His nose was charcoal black and a perfectly balanced set of antlers were angled to catch the light. The cascade of wild vines and flowers that fell down from that lofty crown to cover his shoulders was a touch too artistic to be perfectly natural but it was a fine addition visually and Amadahy applauded happily.
    “Oh! Bole is wonderful!” she declared. “No one could mistake him for anything but an elk. Except for the size,” her scientific brain insisted she add.
    However the children seemed undaunted by the caveat and yelled happily. The two younger cousins began to dash around gathering the various paraphernalia that would see them through an afternoon out in the forest and Drake approached her with an eager but cautious look on his face.
    “So we have permission to go out with Bole today? We did good enough?”
    The woman laughed and gave her brother a friendly punch on the shoulder.
    “Get lost pest, and take your minions with you. I still have a pile of paperwork a mile high to complete from the last handful of encounters between the Rathu and the Ceas. You know the sci-fi flicks always gloss over the whole ecological repair work that alien combat seems to leave,” she mused ruefully. “A thousand trees get shattered by the giant monster de jour and no one ever asks who is going to clean that up. But I shouldn’t complain. I made twice my normally salary this year so far.”
    A guilty trill behind her made the woman jump as the elk stepped up and nuzzled her shoulder meekly. How did he move that silently? Ama wondered for what seemed the thousandth time that week.
    “Perhaps your superior will assign you assistants with appropriate clearance soon,” the powerful voice offered guiltily.
    “Don’t hold your breath,” the woman snorted reaching up to pat his chin.
    “He doesn’t breathe,” Emerald pointed out bluntly as he came waddling up with a well stuffed picnic basket.
    The boy dropped it by the elk and waved to his cousin who was skipping out with a lightweight backpack on. The woman carefully affixed the riding helmets that her cousin favored on the two squirming boys.
    “Em,” Amadahy started warningly eyeing the wicker hamper.
    “I know, I know, Bard isn’t a beast of burden.” The boy waved dismissively as he wriggled into the shoulder straps on the hamper. “Bring only what I can carry myself.”
    When the little one had turned away Bole shot the woman a gently pleading look to which she responded with a firm glare.

    But I don’t mind carrying the children’s stuff.  

    We’ve been over this before. He has to learn respect.

    Maybe there was no such thing as telepathy. They managed well enough without it. It was an old conflict between them and there was no malice in it. The powerful being simply had an massive soft spot for children, a soft spot that had gotten him in hot water with the head of the family more than once. Ama sometimes felt guilty for forcing the alien to adhere to her admittedly strict rules. He had saved her brother’s life after all, but she held firm.
    With a final shout to his brother and cousin Drake scrambled up on the giant deer’s back, his own skull protected by a less elegant battered blue dirt bike helmet, and with Amadahy’s help got the other to up, they were about to depart when Bole stiffened and raised his head into the air. Ama felt her gut clench and tightened her fists in frustration. From the grim look on Drake’s face he understood as well. Instantly the elk knelt.
    “Everybody off!” he stated firmly.
    “What? Why?” Emerald wailed even as the other two scrambled off.
    Ama simply reached up and pulled him off, wicker hamper and all. Before the child could protest further the elk leapt up and bounded off into the forest. The two younger boys stared out after the swaying branches in shock. The woman reached out and touched their shoulders sympathetically.
    “Maybe we can all have a picnic here until he gets back” she suggested gently.  
    Just then her cell phone rang stridently in the quiet forest. Emerald shot her a venomous look before throwing the basked down on the ground with a frustrated scream and running into the barn. Donny on the other hand gave her a small, heartbreaking stare before slumping his thing shoulders and following after his cousin. Drake wordlessly bent to pick up the contents of the broken basket as she answered her phone.
    “Yes Superintendent,” Biologist Love responded through gritted teeth. “I understand. I am on my way.”
    She glanced at her brother who nodded shortly, for a moment it seemed as if his eyes focused on the roof of the barn behind her and he started as if he had seen something, but a quick look showed the woman nothing out of the ordinary and when she glanced back he was simply staring at her expectantly.
    “We’ll meet you at the base,” he said calmly, clearly trying to hide some uneasiness.
    She accepted his façade and marked the other oddity for later study. Drake had been nervous and twitchy lately. It was hard to tell when exactly it had started, but it had become noticeable when he had gotten back from that supply run to Fairbanks with Bard.
     A grimace creased the woman’s face as she remembered the worry of those hours that the youth had been out of contact. The grimace turned to an outright scowl when she thought of the massive pile of confidential paper work the Fairbanks FBI had saddled the young man with. Dealing with their representative had been a nightmare of classified information and red tape. But in the end all it had left her with was the conviction that Drake had been in far more danger than either he or Bard admitted to. Paperwork be hanged, she would have to demand some answers if this odd furtive behavior lasted much longer
    Brushing those thoughts aside for the moment she strode in to snatch her keys off of the rack on the wall. She would have to report to the main Elkhorn office and be debriefed by the superintendent, then chose the response teams, then get them funded and supplied. But after that the team leaders would take over and the Cliff would be there for executive decisions and the woman could return to her vacation with a clear conscience.
    As she passed the red truck again her gaze caught on a set of pictures on the wall, three snapshots held in a black frame. Two dark-haired lovers in graduation gowns stared adoringly at each other under the branches of a scrub oak. Next to it was another picture, the same woman a few years later, her face more deeply creased with cares and deep grief but once again radiating with love. She wore a pale blue wedding dress and a rather short red-haired man stood proudly beside her, hands resting on the shoulders of an eager young flower girl with flowing raven tresses. The third picture showed a dark haired man, quite similar to the red-head, sprawled next to a pale blue eyed blond. He wore fringed buckskins and she a simple tie-dyed cotton dress. Their hands were stretched to the sky and their faces were crinkled with laughter. The frame simply read, “Always Beloved”.
    A bitter smile threatened to twist Amadahy’s face for a moment as she stared at the central dark haired woman whose face she shared.
    “I am trying Mother,” she whispered as her fingers reached up to brush the face on the other side of the glass. “You could never have envisioned out lives now, but I am trying.” She heard another frustrated scream from the boys’ rooms and ducked her head as her face contorted in irritation. “I just pray that it is enough.”